The invention relates to a transportable home energy training device with a housing, at least one tension element capable of being unwound from a supply drum and capable of being rewound again thereon, and a braking mechanism for generating a preestablishable braking force, by means of braking force setting means, directed against unwinding of the tension element.
A device of this type is known from German Pat. No. 24 24 965. In the case of the known device, further provided is a return spring for automatic (self-actuated) rewinding of the tension element when the braking force is released. The braking mechanism here consists of a steel band and individual lamellae capable of being pressed against the steel band. Here, the number of the lamellae determines--besides the pressure exerted on each of them--the total braking force acting against the unwinding of the tension element. In the case of the known device, the lamellae consist of an elastic material with good braking property and resistance to abrasion. They are capable of being pressed individually against the steel band by means of pushbuttons. The steel band itself is guided over a sliding platform that serves as an abutment for the steel band, respectively the lamellae. As a consequence of winding the tension element onto a supply drum, the known device species has the advantage of enabling long training strokes, and, therefore, the previously known limitation of the working stroke of rubber tension/spiral spring and/or bending devices is no longer present. Moreover, the known device species has the advantage that the rebound effect has the consequence of conversion into heat of the work performed against the device, and the danger of injury resulting therefrom no longer occurs and/or is not present. To be particularly emphasized, however, in the case of the device of the known species, is the possibility of being able to increase and/or decrease, in step fashion and in reproduceable manner by means of an appropriate switching-in of lamellae, the total braking force acting against an unwinding of the tension element. However, with the device of the known species, it is not possible to measure the work performed against the device by the person training or even extrapolate the work performed during several training strokes.
Also further known from German Pat. Nos. 14 78 043 and 19 62 658 are home sports devices with which the work performed against the home sports device is converted into heat, therefore is not stored in the form of potential energy. However, with these devices also, the work actually performed by drawing back the tension element cannot be measured.
For explanation of the technical background from whence the invention stems, let reference be additionally made to the German OS* Nos. 30 31 292 and 30 42 520, as well as to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,082,267 and 3,929,331. By means of these devices, important parameters for the person training, for the purpose of determining his capacity for exercise, can indeed be read off, however, not the work that he performs. FNT *OS=Offenlegungsschrift=Laid open print, published patent application (specification) examined only as to obvious defects but not as to patentability.
The task underlying the invention is now to develop further the device of this species such that the work exerted by the person training during the training strokes is indicated.
In accordance with the invention, this task is resolved by the fact that the device of this species is additionally equipped with an indicating mechanism for continuous indication of the total work performed against the energy training device, a coupling mechanism for establishing a driving connection between the tension element and the indicating mechanism when unwinding, and for releasing this connection when rewinding the tension element, and a control mechanism capable of being coupled with the braking force setting means for braking force-dependent alteration of response sensitivity of the indicating mechanism to the segment unwound with the tension element. The task underlying the invention is actually basically known from the German AS* No. 25 40 493, respectively, U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,928 corresponding thereto, along with U.S. Pat. No. 3,511,097. However, in the case of the known devices, we are not dealing with transportable home energy training devices, but rather with so-called ergometers. In particular, in the case of these devices, we are not dealing with energy training devices of a species capable of being actuated in manner of an expander. FNT *AS=Auslegeschrift=Patent application published for opposition, printed specification of the application after examination.
Indeed, the known ergometers from the last-mentioned publications also display, each in turn, an indicating mechanism for continuous indication of the total work performed against the energy training device; not, however, a coupling mechanism for the alternating establishment of a driving connection between the tension element and the indicating mechanism when unwinding, as well as for releasing this connection when rewinding the tension element and/or a control mechanism that is capable of being coupled with the braking force setting means for the braking force-dependent change of response sensitivity of the indicating mechanism to the segment unwound with the tension element.
The coupling apparatus here certainly illustrates that only the measured work performed during a training stroke and the amounts of work performed during several training strokes can be added together. The capability of coupling between the braking force setting and the control mechanism enables an automatic adjustment of the indicating mechanism to the braking force that is set at any given time.
Overall, the device in accordance with the invention enables retaining and extrapolating the results of training work accomplished from force.times.path, synchronously with the set braking force values.